


Eleven Stitches

by bitboozy



Series: Domesticated [9]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Jenkinson is the Miranda Priestly of Broadchurch, Romance, it's hard out here for a cop, that's all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 17:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20157142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitboozy/pseuds/bitboozy
Summary: An incident on the job causes Alec and Ellie to come clean about the relationship to a few more people in their lives...





	Eleven Stitches

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. This happened.

On their eight-week anniversary, which only she is actually aware of, Ellie goes out on a call without him. He’s bogged down in paperwork, so she takes DC Harford with her. It’s a run of the mill domestic disturbance, the uniformed officers are already at the scene. But when Ellie and Katie arrive, the first thing they hear are shots fired. Katie calls it into the station, and Ellie’s leaping out of the car to provide backup.

Katie loses sight of her then, which is what she’ll tell her DI later. More shots fired. Katie stays along the perimeter, ready to run after the suspect who is sure to be fleeing any moment. But the suspect never flees. By the time the ambulance arrives, he’s been gunned down by one of the uniformed officers.

Alec arrives, speeding unwisely, just as the ambulance takes off for the hospital. He runs at Katie, more frantic than she’s ever seen him.

“What happened?” He demands. “Who’s down?”

“Stevens,” Katie replies, quickly, before hesitating. “And – “

“And who? Come on, Harford, spit it out, god’s sake.”

“Miller, sir.”

Alec immediately gets back into his car without so much as a backward glance. “Meet me in hospital,” he calls after to Katie, who nods, and gets into Ellie’s car.

At the hospital, he’s dodging crowds, mowing down orderlies, and verbally accosting nurses for information about Ellie’s whereabouts. Katie catches up with him, followed by Bob and Jenkinson. Alec is fighting with a nurse with a clipboard, who to her credit stands firm.

“You can’t see her, DI Hardy, not yet,” the nurse insists. “You’ll have to wait until they can take a look at her.”

“They can look at her with me in there!” He exclaims. “Not like I take up much space, do I?”

“I’m sorry, sir, I can’t tell you where she is yet.”

“Then I’ll knock down every door in this hospital until I find her.”

"Bit dramatic..." Jenkinson steps in with a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the nurse, who uses this as an excuse to make a quick getaway.

“Alec,” Jenkinson says, evenly if not reassuringly. “They’ll come out when they know something. You know that.”

He’s running his fingers through his hair and immediately starts pacing.

“I take it it’s not Stevens you’re worried about,” Jenkinson says with just the faintest hint of sarcasm. 

“No one seems to know where she was hit!” He complains. “I’ve called everyone at the scene and they all say they didn’t see it – how can you not see it…”

Katie sits down nearby, watching him a bit trepidatiously. Bob stands nearby, stalwart as always.

“I’m sure they’ll know something before long,” Jenkinson says, patting him on the shoulder.

Even Jenkinson sits too. They never do get Alec to sit, or stand still, and Bob stands against the wall, refusing to sit until Alec does. After about twenty minutes, a different nurse comes out. Alec bolts over to her.

“DI Hardy? She’s just down the hall, room 104,” she says calmly.

“She all right?”

“She’d like to tell you herself.” The nurse gives him a small smile, and Alec jogs down the hallway.

He finds room 104, and stands outside the door for a moment, collecting himself. She shouldn’t have to see him this way and add to her anxiety. He opens the door slowly, peeking his head in first.

She’s in bed, wearing a hospital gown but otherwise does not appear to be much worse for wear. She just looks a little overwhelmed. He steps quietly into the room, and she looks up when she hears footsteps.

“Heard you were terrorizing the nurses,” she quips, voice not quite at full volume but steady.

He moves swiftly to her then, inspecting her form for injuries before grabbing onto her hand and leaning in to kiss her forehead.

She reaches to lift up her hosital gown and show him. There’s a large gauze taped to her hip.

“Only grazed me,” she explains. “Just barely missed my hip bone. Eleven stitches and quite a lot of vicodin.”

She’s smiling now, as if she’s just told him a joke with the most hilarious punchline. “Ambulance was probably a bit much.”

“Oh, thank christ.” He bends over in relief, his head coming to rest on her chest. “Bloody hell, Ellie, I nearly flattened a family of four racing to get over here.” He raises his head and kisses her lips. 

She reaches out to touch his cheek. “Stupid.”

He pulls a chair over beside her bed and holds onto her hand. “Did they say when you’re released?”

“Soon as I can stand, I reckon,” she replies. “I warn you I’m on quite a lot of painkillers.”

“We’ll give it a bit. There’s no rush.”

He leans back in the chair and takes a breath, having fully exhausted himself. He rubs the back of his neck, until Ellie starts laughing. He looks up, frowning.

“I’m sorry,” she says, between giggles. “It’s just – “ She looks at his face and giggles some more. “Eleven bloody stitches.”

“_Ellie_,” he scolds her. “Just another smidge to the right and you could have been – “

“_In the hip_, eleven bloody stitches in the hip, I just…” She exhales, trying to get her laughter under control. “So dumb.”

There are tears in her eyes and he’s not actually convinced they’re from the laughter.

He brings her hand to his lips and kisses her fingers. And that is the exact moment that Jenkinson, Katie, and Bob come strolling in.

“…DS Miller, you’re looking better than expected,” Jenkinson says, but her eyes are on Hardy.

All the blood rushes to Katie’s head at the sight before her and she blushes all over. Bob remains stalwart. And not surprised.

Alec doesn’t let go of Ellie’s hand, but he does lay both hands down on the bed. She sits up painstakingly.

“So…” Ellie looks at Alec. He sighs grumpily, but nods. “So, right then, guess we have some news.”

Jenkinson raises an eyebrow.

“Hardy and I are seeing each other.”

Jenkinson folds her arms across her chest.

“Movin’ in together, actually, quite soon,” Alec adds.

Katie’s jaw drops a little. She looks like a fish.

“Not a casual thing. Is what I’m sayin’,” he finishes.

“We might have told you sooner,” Ellie says, to Jenkinson specifically. “But we wanted to be sure of what we were doing first. Keep the drama out of the office.”

“We’re professionals. You need not worry about us,” Alec continues. “We’ve got our heads on straight.”

They wait with bated breath for Jenkinson’s reaction. When she finally speaks, it’s simply, “Right then. Keep focused on the job and no snogging behind closed doors.” With that, she heads for the door. “Take the day off tomorrow, Miller. Don’t be a bloody hero.”

And she’s gone. A bit sheepishly, Katie scurries after her. Bob nods at them with a half-smile, and continues out as well. 

“Well.” Ellie exhales. “That’s that done.”

*

An hour later, they return to the station. Ellie holds onto Alec’s arm, leaning onto him to alleviate the pain in her hip. Bob is with them, having insisted on escorting them both back. Just in case they needed anything.

All of CID is gathered to greet them, and immediately start clapping and hollering when the two detectives enter the bullpen.

Ellie waves them off, humbly. “Oh, come off it, it’s just eleven bloody stitches!”

“Not clapping for you, El,” Brian replies with a grin. “Bob’s just won the pool!”

She looks back at Bob, bringing up the rear, then looks sharply at Brian again. “What pool?!” 

“We had bets going on how long it would take you two to come out to us,” Nish answers. “Today’s Bob’s day.”

“Bollocks, how long have you all known?!” Ellie stands on her own now.

“God’s sake, Ellie, you two have been holin’ up in his office with the blinds closed nearly every day gone two months now!” Brian says with a laugh.

“We were workin’!” Alec says, finally.

“Like hell.”

Jenkinson enters and all the air in the room stills.

“Miller, what did I say?” She looks sternly at Ellie. “Hardy, please escort DS Miller home. And keep her under strict observation for the rest of the day.”

A few of the other detectives snicker, and Jenkinson has a stormy glare for them.

“Back to work, everyone,” she commands, turning on her heels and exiting swiftly.

But it's clear this won't be the end of it.

*

By half two in the afternoon, Alec is dragging his tongue down Ellie’s half-naked body. She lies on the bed, clad only in her bra, knickers, and the gauze taped to her hip. She’s floating just a little on pain medication and feeling perfectly swell, thanks. His tongue stops between her belly button and the waistband of her knickers and he settles in to suck away at the tender flesh he finds there – one of his favorite places to leave a mark. She stays contentedly in place, eyes closed, a lazy smile on her face. When he’s through, he looks up at her, he kisses his way back up her body, and settles on his side next to her, not wanting to put his weight on her injured torso. She turns to face him and lays a hand still on his cheek. His hand drifts over to the gauze taped to her hip and his fingers trace the circumference lightly.

“Had me scared half to death, you know,” he says softly. “No, sod it, all the way to death.”

She smiles and kisses his nose. “And yet here you are.”

“Tryin’ to be honest with you. To tell you how I was – “

“I know,” she cuts him off, her thumb rubbing his cheek. 

He leans into the pillow, not quite looking her in the eye. “For a few minutes there, there was…nothin’. I just saw nothin’. Didn’t know what the hell I’d do next if you – “

“If I’d needed more than eleven stitches,” she finishes, an odd twinkle in her eyes.

He glances over at her hip. “Does it hurt?”

“Nah.” She shrugs her shoulders, then leans forward to kiss him softly. “You’re a sweet old thing, Alec Hardy.”

He scoffs. “_Old_.” But he kisses her back. 

He inches closer to her, as close as he can get, nearly hip to hip. He’s still wearing most of his clothes, which he barely notices, so focused is he on her. He lays a hand on top of the wound. 

“Does this hurt?”

She smiles and shakes her head, no.

“You should rest,” he says, touching his forehead to hers.

“Yes,” she whispers, kissing him instead. “I should.” And again.

He drapes an arm over her middle. “You should really – “ Kiss. “Really – “ Kiss. “Rest.” Kiss. 

They don’t hear the front door open from so far away and they don’t hear the footsteps clambering up the stairs. Nor do they see the shadows of her son and father appear in the open doorway to her bedroom.

“MUMMA!” …is the first thing they hear followed by Fred shuffling toward the bed.

Ellie quickly sits up, wincing, and Alec moves to sit on the edge of the mattress.

“Hello, my lovely,” she greets him.

Fred goes to climb on the bed when Alec’s voice stops him.

“Now, then, lad, need to keep off there and let Mummy rest. She’s not feeling so well,” he explains.

Ellie looks to her father, standing agape in the doorway. “Dad, it’s – I…”

“You’re hurt,” her father says, gruffly. She can see he’s trying not to let his horror at the sight before him wash away his concern for her.

“Only grazed me, Dad, I’m fine,” she insists. “Hardy brought me home. Helped me get undressed to put on something more comfortable.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I can see _that_.”

“Pyjama party?” Fred suggests, brightly.

“Ooh, now that’s an idea, my little love.” She leans over to kiss his cheek, making a considerable effort not to let him see her wince. “Why don’t you go pick out your favorites? Maybe Alec will help you.”

Fred runs around the bed to hold his hand out to Alec. “Come and see, Alec, I have my Star Wars pyjamas and my Avengers pyjamas and my Batman pyjamas and…”

He drags Alec out of the room. Ellie grabs a dressing gown from the foot of the bed, dons it, and stands to face her father.

“Just a few stitches,” she tells him. “I’ll have a nasty scar but no more than that.”

He nods thoughtfully. Neither quite knows where to take the conversation from here. Ellie hears Fred giggling all the way from his room and smiles.

“So. Sleeping with your boss, then, I see,” her father says. She can’t quite make out what he’s feeling. Disapproval certainly, but he’s not as fiery as she’s used to.

“Dating, more like,” she replies. “We’re quite serious actually.”

He looks at her now the way he did each time she disappointed him as a child. “Is that a good idea, Ellie?”

Ellie shrugs, unperturbed. “No worse an idea than marrying a paedophile.”

His eyes widen. She reaches forward to touch his hand.

“Dad, I’m all right, I’m a big girl. I’ve been through the worst of what life has to offer and I’ve come out of it,” she says earnestly. “Alec Hardy may be the best thing that’s ever happened to me, ‘side from the boys. Can you just let me have this please?”

His face goes neutral for a moment, then he begins to nods solemnly. “Right then. I s’pose Fred is in capable hands if I shove off now?”

“Dad, you don’t have to – “

“Pyjama parties aren’t really my bag.” He gives her a bit of a smile. 

“All right then.” 

He reaches out and squeezes her hand. “You need anything, my girl?”

She shakes her head. “No, ta.”

He kisses her cheek, then exits. 

When Alec returns to the room, he finds her standing in the middle of the floor, just staring off.

“Fred wants to know whether you prefer Han Solo or Kylo Ren.”

Ellie snaps to. “Is that a serious question? Don’t come anywhere near me with your Kylo Ren nonsense, it’s Han Solo or no one.”

He smiles. “All right?” 

“Yeah. Think Dad’ll be fine.” 

He slips his arms around her waist and plants a kiss on her neck. “Love you.”

“Mmm.” She smiles. “Mind if I rest a bit? Can you keep Fred occupied?”

“Other way ‘round, more like,” he surmises. “To bed with you now.”

He leads her over to the bed and pulls back the covers. She climbs in, careful to avoid the sore spot on her hip. “Shout if you need us. I think Han and Kylo are about to go to battle so be good and loud about it.”

“I love you,” she finally says back, eyes closing. “But this time Han better win.”

***


End file.
